Rolling object and runway therefor



y 20, 1965 R. B. GEHLEN 3,195,267

ROLLING OBJECT AND RUNWAY THEREFOR Filed Jan. 21, 1963 FIG; 1.

INVENTOR. PIC/MR. B. Gel/451v United States .Patent O 3,195,267 ROLLINGOBHECT AND RUNWAY THEREFOR Richard B. Gehien, 38 Otis Ave, St. llaul,Minn. Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,894 2 Claims. (CI. 46-43) Thisinvention relates to a new and novel toy that may be enjoyed by anynumber of people and by both young and old alike. More particularly thisinvention relates to a new and novel toy to impart forward motion to anoff center rollable object and thence allow said object to follow arandom path of motion.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a new and novelamusement device for imparting rolling movement to hard-boiled eggs andother objects having similar rolling characteristics. A further objectof this invention is to provide a new and novel toy that may be readilycollapsed and alternately easily set up for imparting forward movementto egg shaped objects. Another object of this invention is to provide acombination of an inclined amusement device for imparting rollingmovement to a rollable object and a new and novel rollable object thatwill roll in a random path upon having forward motion imparted theretoby being rolled down said device.

Other and further objects are those inherent in the invention hereinillustrated, described, and claimed, and will be apparent as thedescription proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the aforegoing and related ends this inventionthen comprises the features hereinafter fully illustrated andparticularly pointed out in the claims, the following descriptionsetting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of theinvention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the variousWays in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated with reference to the drawings in whichcorresponding numerals refer to the same parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the chute of this invention androllable objects used in conjunction therewith located forwardlythereof;

FIGURE 2 is a side view illustrating the structure of FIGURE 1 otherthan that the legs of the chute have been repositioned to decrease itsangle of inclination and one of the rollable objects is illustrated asbeing rolled down the chute;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing the chute in the same posit-ion asillustrated in FIGURE 2 and also illustrating various paths of motionthat have been imparted to rollable objects that have been rolled downthechute;

FIGURE 4 is a back end view of the chute illustrated in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view of a rollable object of thisinvention that may be advantageously used -with the chute of thepreceding figures.

Referring now in particular to FIGURES 1-4, there is illustrated a chuteof this invention, generally designated .10, that is to be used incombination with egg shaped objects 11. The chute includes a generallyV-shaped trough -12 made up of elongated sidewalls 12a and 12brespectively. The walls are suitably joined together by conventionalmeans such as nails or glue, to in transverse cross section, extend atabout right angles to one another. The lower end of each wall isdiagonally cut at 120 so that the upper longitudinal edge of each wallportion is substantially longer than the opposite longitudinal apex edgeportion of the same wall. Advantageously the angle of cut .at 12c, withreference to the longitudinal apex edge, is between 140155. As a result,when the chute is set up in an inclined operating 3,195,26? PatentedJuly 20, 1965 position such as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the edges 1 20will either abut against the floor (table) 14 throughout theirtransverse length or else form a relatively small acute angle relativethereto. This feature adds stability to the chute when it is set up inan operating position.

The end portion of the trough opposite edges has crosed legs 13 and 14secured thereto for supporting said trough in an adjusted elevatedcondition. One end of the leg 13 is pivotally connected at 15 to thewall 12a to pivot about an axis at right angles to wall 1211 while oneend of the leg 14 is pivotally connected to the wall 12b at .16 to pivotabout an axis at right angles to wall 12b. The legs advantageously areof identical size and shape while the pivot 15 is located a greaterlongitudinal distance from the rear edge 12:: of the trough than pivot16 by a dimension approximately eual to the Width W of a leg. As aresult of longitudinally offsetting the pivots I5 and 16 from oneanother by a distance W, the legs may be readily pivoted to support thetrough at various angles of inclination T with adjacent edge portions ofthe legs abutting against one another. Since the legs are pivotallyconnected to the trough to cross one another adjacent their upper endsin a trough supporting condition to in effect form an X adjacent theirupper ends, the mid-portions of the legs bearing against one another inconjunction with the lower end portion of the trough bearing against thetable forms a stable structure for a limited range of pivotaladjustments of the legs relative the trough. That is, the legs may bepivoted in the direction of arrow 13 about their respective pivotedaxis, from .a position as illustrated in FIGURE 1 to a position asillustrated in FIGURE 2 and thereby decrease the angle of inclination Tof the trough relative to the table.

By setting up the chute 10 such as illustrated in FIG- U RES 1-4,positioning an egg shaped object 11 such as a hard-boiled egg on theupper end of the trough, and then releasing said object, the releasedobject 11 will roll down the trough in the direction of the arrow 19 inan attempt to hit one of a plurality of randomly spaced objectspositioned on the table 14 a distance substantially in advance of thelower end 120 of the trough. It is not necessary that objects be spacedon the table in advance but they may be subsequently rolled down thetrough one after another. Since the yoke of a hard-boiled egg may belocated in any one of numerous positions within the shell, and it is ofa greater density than the density of the white of the egg, the yokeprovides an oifcenter weight whereby it is not possible to ascertain thedirection of roll the egg will take upon leaving the lower end of thetrough. Accordingly if a number of eggs are rolled down the trough theywill stop in spaced relation on the table and will follow random pathsof travel such as paths 2 1, 2 2, 23 and 24 illustrated on FIGURE 3.Likewise there is a chance that after one or more eggs have come to reston the table in front of the lower end, an egg subsequently rolled downthe trough will hit one of the eggs already setting on the table.

As may be apparent from the above, by providing a trough of thisinvention a game that is especially popular at Easter time, is provided.This will give old and young alike something to do with hard-boiled eggsbesides eating them.

In order to achieve a type of unpredictable roll as a hard-boiled eggand at the same time provide an object that may be utilized the yeararound, it is within the purview of this invention to provide an objectgenerally designated 30. The object 30 includes a hollow, generallyegg-shaped, casing 31 having a small relatively heavy weight 32positioned within its interior. The interior of the casing, other thanfor weight 32, is filled with a material 36 that advantageously may beof a viscosity corresponding to that of heavy'axle grease. As a resultof providing the material 3 3, the position of the weight 32 Within thecasing 31 will be constantly changing as the object 30 rolls down thetrough. Due to the viscosity of said material, the movement of theWeight 3-2 in the casing will be erratic as the casing rolls down thechute and likewise the path of movement of object 30 after, it leavesthe chute will accordingly be erratic. Advantageously the casing may bemade of a suitable plastic.

A feature of this invention not previously set forth is that if it isdesired to put the chute away, it may be collapsed by first pivoting theleg 16 about its axis in a direction opposite arrow :18 to extend in thesame longitudinal direction as the wall member 12a to extend along wall12a and then pivoting legl4 in the same direction to extend along thewall 12b throughout its length.

. Also it is to be understood that the chute may be used in combinationwith other shaped rollable objects that have an erratic type of movementupon leaving the lower end ofthe chute and that various upright objectsof other shapes may be set in front ofthe chute in random spaced,

or predetermined spaced relationship on a gamebo-ard. If there isprovided a game board having marked spaces thereon and upright objectsof any desired shape set on said spaces, the object of the game would beto roll the rollable object down the chute and hit the upright object orobjects set on the game board. Such usage would be a mere game ofchance, two primary controllable variables being the initial forceimparted to the object that is rolled down the chute and the heighth ofthe upper end of the chutetrelative to thetable.

As many widely apparently different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodimentsherein.

What I claim is:

1. Amusement apparatus comprising an elongated, generally V-shapedtrough having opposite sidewalls, one end of said trough being diagonalcut to have the longitudinal apex edges ofsaid walls of a substantiallyshorter longitudinal dimension-than the opposite edges of said walls, anelongated first leg pi votally connected to one of said wall-s adjacentthe opposite end portion of the trough :to pivot about an axisgenerally. at right angles to the plane of said one wall, and anelongated second leg pivotally connected to the other: of said walls topivot about an axis generally at right angles to the plane of said otherwall, the pivot connections being longitudinally ofiset by a dimensionabout equal to the longitudinal width of a leg. a

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further-characterized in that thereisprovided .an egg-shaped object to be rolled down the trough comprising ahollow casingya weight Within said casing and means within said casingfor tempor arily suspending said weight within the casing so that saidmeans and the weight means impart erratic movement to the casing as saidobject leaves the trough after being rolled down thetrough;

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD C.P-INKHAM, Primary Examiner.

1. AMUSEMENT APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED, GENERALLY V-SHAPEDTROUGH HAVING OPPOSITE SIDEWALLS, ONE END OF SAID TROUGH BEING DIAGONALCUT TO HAVE THE LONGITUDINAL APEX EDGES OF SAID WALLS OF A SUBSTANTIALLYSHORTER LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION THAN THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID WALLS, ANELONGATED FIRST LEG PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID WALLS ADJACENTTHE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF THE TROUGH TO PIVOT ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLYAT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF SAID ONE WALL, AND AN ELONGATED SECONDLEG PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF SAID WALLS TO PIVOT ABOUT ANAXIS GENERALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF SAID OTHER WALL, THEPIVOT CONNECTIONS BEING LONGITUDINALLY OFFSET BY A DIMENSION ABOUT EQUALTO THE LONGITUDINAL WIDTH OF A LEG.
 2. THE APPARATUS OF CLAIM 1 FURTHERCHARACTERIZED IN THAT THERE IS PROVIDED AN EGG-SHAPED OBJECT TO BEROLLED DOWN THE TROUGH COMPRISING A HOLLOW CASING, A WEIGHT WITHIN SAIDCASING AND MEANS WITHIN SAID CASING FOR TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING SAIDWEIGHT WITHIN THE CASING SO THAT SAID MEANS AND THE WEIGHT MEANS IMPARTERRATIC MOVEMENT TO THE CASING AS SAID OBJECT LEAVES THE TROUGH AFTERBEING ROLLED DOWN THE TROUGH.